Blood of the Tribades

Blood of the Tribades is a 2016 horror film directed by Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein. The script, style, and look are heavily influenced by 1970s Euro lesbian vampire films.[1] The film is distributed in North America on VOD and DVD/blu-ray by Launch Over[2] and VHS by SRS Media.[3]

Blood of the Tribades
Directed bySophia Cacciola, Michael J. Epstein
Produced bySophia Cacciola, Michael J. Epstein
Screenplay bySophia Cacciola, Michael J. Epstein
StarringChloé Cunha, Mary Widow, Seth Chatfield, Tymisha 'Tush' Harris, Kristofer Jenson, Zach Pidgeon, Sindy Katrotic
Music byNight Kisses, Catherine Capozzi, Michael J. Epstein
CinematographySophia Cacciola, Michael J. Epstein
Edited bySophia Cacciola, Michael J. Epstein
Production
company
Launch Over
Release date
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Description

Chris Hallock of the Boston Underground Film Festival, where the film had its world premiere on March 27, 2016, calls it, "a love letter to offbeat lesbian vampire films that offers powerful discourse on self-identity, feminism, and the violence wrought from religious dogma."[4]

The film is notable for reversing the typical structure and focus of lesbian vampire films, with ambush bug of Ain't it Cool News noting, "The lesbian vampire is not new in the realm of horror, but whereas in the past, male filmmakers did their best to make lesbianism seem both erotic as well as the outcast other, this film actually makes these vamps sympathetic and shifts gears to change the subject to male oppression versus judgment upon free-spirited feminine wiles."[5]

Starburst Magazine's Andrew Marshall examined the film's religious and political allegory in which the words of an ancient religious leader are corrupted over time in order to build favorable power structures: "Through its sex and violence, the film examines the perception of women in an oppressively masculine society, one in which they are taught obedience and complacency, remaining the unwitting victims of theocratic doctrine weaponised by dogmatic fundamentalists. From sapphic symbolism misappropriated by the patriarchal religion to character names representing a disparate assortment of mythologies, the film gradually constructs a culture that could conceivably exist apart from whatever domain may or may not lie beyond the village's borders, while the rampant histrionic misogyny is not only believable within the story's context, but is also rendered all-too plausible by recent real-world developments."[6]

Premise

2000 years after the great vampire Bathor established the village of Bathory, superstition and religious violence take over as the men and women battle for control. When the men are afflicted with a mysterious illness, they become certain that the vampire women of Bathory are responsible for their ills, and thus, the hunt begins! Long-forgotten lovers Élisabeth and Fantine find that, with the help of those who were banished, it is their fate to piece together the past and help preserve what little of their society remains before Bathor's impending return and judgment.

Cast
  • Chloé Cunha as Élisabeth
  • Mary Widow as Fantine
  • Seth Chatfield as Grando
  • Tymisha 'Tush' Harris as The Great One
  • Kristofer Jenson as Sava
  • Zach Pidgeon as Berwick
  • Sindy Katrotic as Giltine
  • Simone de Boudoir as Naga
  • Stabatha La Thrills as Wendigo
  • Lilith Beest as Nephite Theodosia
  • Irina Peligrad as Nephite Geraldine
  • Maggie Maraschino as Nephite Ruthven
  • Dale Stones as Jacob
  • Andrew C. Wiley as Esau
  • Savana Petruzello as Darvulia
  • Serena Petruzello as Erzsi
  • Edrie Edrie as Lilith
  • Wednesday Alice Edrie as Baby Aluka
  • Aurora Grabill as Carmilla
  • Melinda Green as Mircalla
  • Hugh Guiney as Stoker
  • Scott Dezrah Blinn as Acheron
  • Jake Vaughan as Alnwick
  • Warren Lynch as Bagdana
  • Porcelain Dalya as Akantha
  • Shannon Keelan as Hadria
  • Rachel Leah Blumenthal as Akeldama
  • Tracey Sturtevant as Zillah
  • Kevin F. Harrington as Lethe
  • Sean M. Kennedy as Cocytus
  • Sophia Cacciola as Bathsheba

Production

Funding for the movie was partially raised through a successful Kickstarter campaign.[7]

Principal photography took place in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York from June 2015 through October 2015.[8]

Critical response

Blood of the Tribades has received generally positive reviews. Kevan Farrow of Scream Magazine gave the film 3.5/5 stars, noting, "Blood of the Tribades is both a pretty and fun piece of offbeat melodrama, and an enraged feminist statement."[9] Andrew Marshall of Starburst Magazine gave the film an 8/10.[10] Daniel XIII of Famous Monsters of Filmland gave 4/5 skulls, noting, "All in all this is one hell of a flick: unique, surreal and chock full of the bloody and beautiful goods that lovers of the Euro-horror genre dig like a grave!"[11]

Select festivals and awards
  • Boston Underground Film Festival 2016 (Boston, MA) – World Premiere[12] – Winner Best New England Film[13]
  • Motor City Nightmares 2016 (Novi, MI)
  • Fright Nights Festival of Angst 2016 (Vienna, Austria)[14]
  • International Vampire Film and Arts Festival 2016 (Sighisoara, Transylvania, Romania)[15]
  • Sanford International Film Festival 2016 (Sanford, ME) – Winner Best Acting (Ensemble), Nominated for: Best Feature Film, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Music[16]
  • Fantasmagorical Film Festival 2016 (Louisville, KY) – Winner Best ’70s Throwback, Winner Best Vampire Film[17]
  • Gen Con 2016 (Indianapolis, IN)
  • GenreBlast Film Festival 2016 (Culpeper, VA) – Winner Best Score (Nominated for: Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Feature, Best Grindhouse/Exploitation, Best Supporting Actor for Seth Chatfield as Grando, Best Screenplay, Best Poster)[18]
  • Starburst International Film Festival 2016 (Manchester, England)
  • B Movie Underground and Trash Film Festival 2016 (Breda, The Netherlands)
  • Scare-A-Con 2016 (Turning Stone, NY)
  • Diabolical Horror Film Festival 2016 – Carnage Awards Nominated Best Feature
  • Imaginarium Convention Film Festival 2016 (Louisville, KY) – Winner BEST FEATURE (OVERALL)
  • Buffalo Dreams Film Festival 2016 (Williamsville, NY) – Winner BEST RETRO FEATURE (Nominated: Best Horror Feature, Best Screenwriting)[19]
  • Fright Night Film Fest 2016 (Louisville, KY)

References
  1. "Blood of the Tribades press materials".
  2. "Rue Morgue". Archived from the original on 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  3. "SRS".
  4. "Boston Underground Film Festival preview".
  5. "Ain't It Cool news".
  6. "Starburst Magazine".
  7. "Blood of the Tribades – 70s art/Hammer lesbian vampire film".
  8. "Principal Photography on Blood of the Tribades is wrapped!".
  9. "Scream Magazine".
  10. "Starburst Magazine".
  11. "Famous Monsters of Filmland". Archived from the original on 2016-02-27.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. "Boston Underground Film Festival".
  13. "Dreadcentral".
  14. "Fright Nights".
  15. "IVFAF".
  16. "Sanford International Film Festival".
  17. "Fantasmagorical Film Festival". Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  18. "GenreBlast 2016 award winners".
  19. "Buffalo Niagara Film Office".
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